


The Rise

by yafan92



Category: Blood and Ash Series - Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: F/M, Hawke POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:08:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29806119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yafan92/pseuds/yafan92
Summary: This is Hawke/Casteel's perspective of the scene inFrom Blood and Ashwhen he finds Poppy on the Rise during the Craven attack.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 59





	The Rise

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of my favorite scenes in the first book; just imagining what was going through Hawke's mind as I read it made me want to write this!

I grunted as I thrust my sword through the throat of a Craven, wishing the guards in Solis fought with twin blades the way Atlantians did as I lost sight of Vikter _again_. Penellaphe would be devastated if he died, and I’m not sure at what point I started to care about her as more than a target, but I didn’t want to cause her any undue distress. Beyond being kidnapped, obviously. A low growl rose up in my throat as I beheaded another decomposing corpse, whirling in time to see the Craven about to attack Vikter go down with an arrow to the back of its head. He whipped around, staring straight at one of the battlements before leaping back into the fray. 

_No, surely not…?_ I squinted in that direction, but it was much too far to be able to see who was there from this distance, even with my better-than-mortal vision. Fine then, I’d get there the old fashioned way. 

Even though I had come out beyond the Rise to make sure Vikter made it back alive, I felt myself falling into the calm of battle as I hacked my way through rotting carcasses toward the tower from which arrows were still steadily raining, all finding their marks. I forgot all about Malik and the Ascended, my concern about Penellaphe after not having seen her for two days, about everything except cutting down each Craven that rose before me. I reveled in the physical activity, the crunch of bone beneath my blade, and my chest was heaving with exertion by the time I found myself standing at the base of the Rise. I nodded at Pence, who was headed out toward the fray as I calmed my breathing, taking stock of the battle as I looked around. The mist was already beginning to thin, and even though a few of the guards still fell, reinforcements on horseback were arriving. I wasn’t desperately needed, I decided, turning and making my steps silent as I crept into the battlement. 

I looked up and froze as every thought fled from my head. It was _her_. Penellaphe. Poppy. Drawing arrow after arrow from the quiver at her side, never taking her eyes off her targets. She was exquisite, the moonlight shining on her leg - her _bare_ leg - as she dropped to one knee. I knew I was staring at her openmouthed, my sword still dripping Craven blood where I held it limply at my side, and the words were out of my mouth before I even realized I was speaking. 

“You must be the goddess Bele or Lailah given mortal form,” I breathed, and she whirled, knocking another arrow and aiming it at me. And damn me straight to hell, but the sight of her with a deadly weapon, strong and vengeful and ethereal, had all the blood in my body rushing straight to my cock. “You are…” I began, sheathing my sword without breaking eye contact. “You’re absolutely magnificent. Beautiful.” And she was. Even more so than the first time I'd said so, when I saw her without veil or mask.

My heart squeezed in my chest as she jumped a little bit, as though startled by my proclamation. Even though I had always planned to kill the Duke before leaving, I decided then and there that he would pay for making her ever think otherwise. “The last thing I expected to find was a hooded lady with a talent for archery manning one of the battlements,” I continued, a grin tugging at my lips as I continued to look up at her. “May I be of assistance?” I asked, offering my hand to help her climb down.

She regarded me for a long moment before lowering her bow. I ignored the brief flash of disappointment as she motioned for me to step back, haughty and regal as any queen. I felt the strongest urge to bow to her, this woman who was so utterly not the docile, brainwashed Maiden I had expected, so I did, with such a flourish that I caught a quick flash of her smile from under the shadows of her hood. 

I held that position as she clambered down the ladder, neither of us looking away from the other as I straightened. Standing before me, every line of her body spoke of defiance, and I was struck once more by the idea that she couldn’t possibly be the Maiden; she must be some goddess in disguise. “You’re a…” I trailed off as she slung the bow over her shoulder and winced. _Shit._ Had she been hurt? My eyes narrowed as I looked her over, my gaze snagging on the exposed bits of skin as I appraised her. I smelled no blood on her, but as I well knew there were plenty of injuries that could be inflicted without drawing blood. 

The thought of her injured was enough of a distraction that my awe dwindled, replaced with a need to know what the fuck, exactly, she was doing out here during a Craven attack. She moved as though to step around me and I blocked her, noticing how she tensed as she looked back up at me. 

“What are you doing up here?” I asked flatly. She said nothing, trying to brush past me once more. So she wanted to pretend I didn’t know who she was? Fine, but I _would_ get some answers. I grabbed her arm, ready to give her a piece of my mind. “I think -”

She spun, twisting under my hand so she stood behind me, and before I could register her movement she kicked at the back of my legs, toppling me forward. “Oh shit,” I yelped, startled, letting go of her to catch myself, and she took off, racing for the stairwell as though the Dark One himself was after her. Well, she wasn’t exactly wrong.

I could easily catch up to her, of course, but now I was _intrigued._ Incredible aim _and_ impressive hand-to-hand combat skills? I thought back to that night at the Red Pearl when she had told me she knew how to use her dagger. My lips twitched as I drew my own, pulling my arm back and throwing it with enough force that it traveled through her cloak and embedded itself several inches into the wall, jerking her to a halt. 

She whirled as I strolled toward her, fighting back amusement. “That wasn’t very nice,” I scolded, relishing the way her mouth dropped open in surprise. I stopped dead in my tracks, though, as she pulled the dagger free, flipping it expertly and drawing her arm back. “Don’t,” I warned, even as the sight of my knife in her small hand brought to mind images of that same hand wrapped around something else. 

Thoughts like that would have to wait, as she chose that moment to fling my own blade back at me, aiming for my head. I admired her form and her decisive action even as I whirled out of the way, grabbing the dagger by the handle as it spun through the air where my face had been heartbeats before. She barely waited to see that I was not, in fact, impaled before she was off and running once again. So she wanted to play? That was fine by me.

I hauled myself up atop the narrow ledge of the wall, ran along it, and jumped down in front of her, my dagger still in hand. She startled, losing her balance, and went sliding onto her hip, a soft grunt the only sign of discomfort she showed at what must have been a painful fall. “Now that really wasn’t nice at all,” I said, straightening. “I’m aware that my hair is in need of a trim,” I continued, stalking toward her, “but your aim is off. You should really work on that since I’m quite partial to my face.”

Oh, she was definitely angry now. As soon as I was within striking distance her leg moved, catching my shin, and a small noise of annoyance left me as she jumped to her feet. She tried to dodge me and I intercepted, sensing her frustration growing as I blocked her every move. Truly, it was only the superior speed of my Atlantian heritage that allowed me to catch her by the ankle as she lashed out again, and I was torn between admiration at her ability and the sudden distraction of her smooth, bare leg in my hand.

“Scandalous,” I murmured as she righted herself, not hiding the way my eyes traveled from her pale thigh all the way down to her toes. She growled, and I couldn’t help a laugh at the sound. It was so… adorable. My gaze snagged on her footwear, my eyebrows rising of their own accord. “And such dainty little slippers.” Here, at last, was something I expected of the Maiden. “Satin and silk? They’re as finely tailored as your leg. The kind of slipper no guard of the Rise would wear. Unless they’re being outfitted differently than I am,” I added as she practically vibrated with fury. 

I dropped her leg but was on her in an instant, catching her by the arm and pulling her flush against me. That mouthwatering, honeydew scent of hers filled my nostrils, strengthening as her chest heaved against mine, and I forced myself not to focus on the way my body reacted to her proximity. _You are a gods-damned prince, not a horny fucking teenager,_ I scolded myself, reaching toward her with my other hand. “You know what I think -” I began, but cut off abruptly at the feeling of the sharp point of a blade at my throat. 

I froze as I stared down at her, and this close I could see clearly through the shadows of her hood. Her mouth was set in a hard line, her eyes full of fiery determination. _Do it,_ I silently dared her, not backing away even an inch, and she did, pressing the tip of her dagger in just enough to draw blood. Fuck, I liked that. A lot. _Fuck_. Thank the gods my armor hid my straining erection from her. I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in my chest then, as I realized _again_ how unexpected Poppy was. “Correction,” I said between chuckles, “you’re an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature.” 

I could practically feel her anger rippling into the little space between us, but the appearance of her dagger allowed me to drop the pretense of not knowing who she was. I looked down at it, a smile still tugging at my lips. “Nice weapon. Bloodstone and wolven bone. Very interesting…” I looked back to her face. _“Princess.”_

As though realizing her mistake, Poppy jerked the blade away from my neck, giving me the opening I needed to catch the wrist of her weapon hand and move it a safe distance away from my face. “You and I have so much to talk about,” I murmured.

“We have nothing to talk about,” she snapped, and I had to force down the grin that threatened to creep up my face at her tone.

“She speaks!” I said with false shock, and was rewarded by the waves of frustration rolling off her. “I thought you liked to talk, Princess.” She said nothing to that, so I decided to press further. “Or is that only when you’re at the Red Pearl?”

Still, she was silent, as though refusing to say anything would keep her from revealing her true identity. I almost laughed again. “You’re not going to pretend that you have no idea what I’m talking about, are you?” I goaded. “That you’re not her?”

Poppy pulled against my hands, trying to free herself. “Let me go,” she demanded.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” I practically purred, turning so I could press her into the wall with my body. “After all we shared? You throw a dagger at my face?” 

“All we shared?” she repeated incredulously. “It was a handful of minutes and a few kisses.”

Well, now I was a little offended. “It was more than a few kisses,” I corrected, pressing even closer to her so I could feel her uneven breathing. “If you’ve forgotten, I’m more than willing to remind you.” And fuck me, but it was true. I hadn’t been able to banish the feeling of her body, pliant and warm beneath me, from that night, no matter how much I wanted to. 

Her scent strengthened slightly, but she clenched her jaw so hard I was surprised her teeth didn’t crack. “There was nothing worth remembering,” she spat. 

_Ouch_. “Now you insult me after throwing a dagger at my face? You’ve wounded my tender feelings.” I wasn’t even lying, mostly. 

“Tender feelings?” she scoffed. “Don’t be overdramatic.”

“Hard not to be when you threw a dagger at my _head_ and then cut my neck,” I snapped back. Never mind that I liked it. 

“I knew you’d move out of the way,” she replied.

“Did you?” I pressed. “Is that why you tried to slice open my throat?” Maybe she had a point about my being dramatic.

Indeed, she was quick to correct me. “I _nicked_ your skin,” she emphasized, “because you had a hold of me and wouldn’t let go.” Her arms tensed again as she struggled against my grip. “Obviously, you haven’t learned anything from it.”

“I’ve actually learned a lot, Princess.” It was true. I now knew she was not only incredible with a bow, but hadn’t been lying about her knowledge of bladework and was skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well. And I learned that her bravery went far beyond sneaking out to the Red Pearl; there were many guards who wouldn’t have come to fight if they were not required to do so. And I had _also_ learned that seeing her with a sharp object in hand was a huge turn-on for me. “That’s why your hands and your dagger aren’t getting anywhere near my neck,” I continued. Then, unable to help myself, I stroked my thumb along her inner wrist. “But if you let go of the dagger, there’s a whole lot of me I’ll let your hands get close to.” Hell, I even wanted her to use the dagger, although maybe not at exactly this moment.

Poppy swallowed audibly, and I had to fight back a grin. A sudden, ridiculous sense of pride rushed through me at the thought that I was likely the first person to ever speak to her like that, and I was sure her lovely face was bright red under her hood. “How generous of you,” she replied, in a tone that would have made Kieran proud.

“Once you get to know me, you’ll find that I can be _quite_ benevolent,” I preened.

“I have no intention of getting to know you,” she spat, and I found myself enjoying the conversation far more than I should have.

“So, you just make a habit of sneaking into the rooms of young men and seducing them before running off?” I teased. Never mind that I was far, far older than I looked.

“What? Seducing men?” she said with a gasp.

“Isn’t that what you did to me, Princess?” I asked rhetorically, running my thumb over her wrist again. Even though _I_ had set out to seduce _her_ once I knew who she was, it didn’t change the fact that I had genuinely been disappointed when Kieran had arrived and called me away.

Her breathing was coming fast now. “You’re ridiculous,” she accused.

“What I am is _intrigued."_

She groaned at my use of that word, and I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me at the sound. She struggled against me again, pulling her arms, but I held her firmly. “Why do you insist on holding me like this?” she demanded.

 _Because I want to. Because I like being close enough to smell you, to feel your curves against me, to lean down and taste you._ “Well, besides what we went over already, which is the whole being partial to my face _and_ my neck thing, you’re also somewhere you’re not supposed to be. I’m doing my job by detaining and questioning you.”

“Do you typically question those on the Rise who you don’t recognize like this?” she challenged. “What an odd method of interrogation.”

 _Definitely not._ “Only pretty ladies with shapely, bare legs,” I replied, leaning in even closer so our chests brushed each other. “What are you doing up here during a Craven attack?” I murmured.

“Enjoying a relaxing evening stroll,” she snapped, and the corner of my mouth twitched at her tone.

“What were you doing up here, Princess?” I repeated, refusing to let her distract me any further.

“What did it look like I was doing?”

 _Fulfilling my wildest fantasies._ I pushed that thought away, focusing on the danger she’d been in. “It looked like you were being incredibly foolish and reckless.” What if the Craven had gotten to her? From the familiarity with which she handled her bow and the calm with which she had killed, this was not the first time she had been out here during an attack. Why would she put her own safety at risk in such a way? If anything had happened to her… Not only would my plans be ruined, but I found myself feeling protective of her. I couldn’t stand the thought of her being injured.

“Excuse me?” she gasped, outrage and disbelief warring in her voice. “How reckless was I being when I killed Craven and -”

“Am I unaware of a new recruitment policy where half-dressed ladies in cloaks are now needed on the Rise?” I cut her off, my own anger struggling to make an appearance. “Are we that desperately in need of protection?”

“Desperate?” she shot back. “Why would my presence on the Rise signal desperation when, as you’ve seen, I know how to use a bow? Oh, wait. Is it because I happen to have breasts?”

Fuck, now I was thinking about her breasts, about how warm and lovely they were, about how much I still wanted to sink my teeth into them. “I’ve known women with far less beautiful breasts that could cut down a man without so much as blinking an eye,” I answered her honestly. “But none of those women are here in Masadonia. And you are incredibly skilled, not just with an arrow.” I cocked my head, and even though I was pretty sure I knew the answer, I asked anyway. “Who taught you how to fight and use a dagger?”

I paused to give her a chance to respond, but as expected, she said nothing. “I’m willing to bet it was the same person who gave you that blade.” I took her silence as confirmation. Vikter it was, then. “Too bad whoever they are didn’t teach you how to evade capture,” I continued. “Well, too bad for _you,_ that is.” There was no way Vikter could have taught her to be faster than an Atlantian, anyway.

I felt the shift of her weight against me as she moved onto one leg, bringing the other knee up to try and incapacitate me in a way that would be exceedingly painful, despite my quick healing. I quickly shifted to block her, shoving my thigh between hers and becoming exceedingly aware of all the places we were pressed up against each other. “You’re so incredibly violent,” I purred down at her. “I think I like it.” Lies. I _definitely_ liked it.

“Let me go!” she demanded.

“And be kicked or stabbed?” I shifted again, preventing her from trying another knee to my groin. “We’ve already covered that, Princess. More than once.”

Poppy shifted her hips, trying to push me off, but all she really succeeded in doing was grinding down on my leg. She gasped, and the sudden spike in her arousal was so intense I froze, straining against every instinct to bury my fangs in her neck and guide her hips to ride my thigh to completion. An image came to me unbidden: her head thrown back on a pillow, her long, wine-red hair spread behind her like a halo, those rosebud lips open as she moaned out her pleasure…

Dangerous. This was such dangerous territory, but I couldn’t help myself. “I came back for you that night,” I admitted. “Just like I told you I would. I came back for you, and you weren’t there. You promised me, Princess.” It was as close as a whine as my voice ever got. Even though I knew, I _knew,_ she hadn't been going to stay, I had still hoped she would be there when I returned, and found myself unbearably disappointed when she wasn’t.

She let out a harsh breath. “I… I couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t?” I practically growled at her. “I have a feeling that if there’s something you want badly enough, nothing will stop you.” She just hadn’t wanted me badly enough.

“You know nothing,” she spat, laughing bitterly.

Was that so? “Maybe,” I allowed, releasing her dagger hand so I could reach into her hood and cup her cheek. “Maybe I know more than you realize.” I bent even lower, so my face was right up against hers with just the fabric of the hood between us: a mockery of a lover’s caress. “Did you really think I have no idea who you are?” The sudden tenseness in all of her muscles gave me my answer - she certainly _hoped_ I hadn’t recognized her. I almost laughed. “You have nothing to say to that, _Penellaphe_?” I whispered.

She sighed, the tension leaving her body as she slumped against the wall. “Are you just now figuring that out?” she snarked as I pulled back slightly to look at her. “If so, I’m concerned about you being one of my personal guards.”

I did laugh then, mostly because she was annoyed and it was adorable. “I knew the moment you removed the veil.” Another lie, of course, but honestly, even if I hadn’t known her in the Red Pearl, I certainly would have as soon as I saw her face. The mask was not nearly as concealing as she thought it had been. 

The tension was back in her body as she regarded me. “Why… why didn’t you say something then?” she asked.

“To you, or to the Duke?” I clarified, removing my hand from her face and bracing it on the wall behind her head.

“Either,” she whispered.

“I wanted to see if you’d bring it up,” I admitted. And I wasn’t about to tell the Duke _anything,_ much less something that could increase the security around her. “Apparently you were just going to pretend that you’re not the same girl who frequents the Red Pearl,” I continued.

“I don’t frequent the Red Pearl,” she shot back, and I believed her. The time I had seen her there, she had seemed entirely out of her element. “But I hear you do.”

I grinned. “Have you been asking about me? I’m flattered.”

“I haven’t,” she replied with a little sniff.

“I’m not sure if I believe you,” I teased. “You tell a lot of lies, Princess.” And she wasn’t nearly as good at lying as she thought she was.

“Don’t call me that,” she demanded, all but guaranteeing I would never call her anything else.

“I like it better than what I’m supposed to call you,” I replied seriously. “ _Maiden._ ” I practically spat the word. “You have a name. It’s not that.” It wasn’t even a descriptor of who she was, not in the slightest.

“I didn’t ask for what you liked,” she snapped back, confirming my previous thought.

“But you did ask why I didn’t tell the Duke about your little explorations,” I reminded her, and decided to give her a version of the truth. “Why would I do that? I’m your guard. If I were to betray you, then you wouldn’t trust me, and that would definitely make my job of keeping you safe much harder.” Even though I knew most guards would have sold her out in a second to curry favor with the Duke and Duchess, and I knew many in my own ranks who would do the same. It was an act of will to keep my lip from curling. 

She lifted her chin defiantly. “As you see, I can keep myself safe.”

“I see that,” I admitted, then was suddenly struck by the realization that it had been _she_ who wounded Jericho. No wonder he had deflected when I asked how he had gotten injured; what a blow to his pride it must have been to find out that the pure, innocent Maiden had both teeth and claws. Not that I minded, of course. If that asshole had just followed my orders in the first place, she wouldn’t have had an opportunity to hurt him.

My realizations were interrupted when I heard Pence calling my name from below. “Hawke, everything okay up there?”

I felt Poppy’s pulse trip, pounding harder at the realization that we could very shortly be discovered. I scanned her face; her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly open, short, panting breaths coming out as she waited to see what I would do. “Everything is fine,” I called back, and she relaxed almost imperceptibly.

“You need to let me go,” she whispered urgently. “Someone is bound to come up here -”

“And catch you?” I interrupted, equally quietly. “Force you to reveal your identity? Maybe that would be a good thing.”

Her breath caught, and her voice was panicked as she spoke again. “You said you wouldn’t betray me -”

“I said I _didn’t_ betray you,” I cut her off again. “But that was before I knew you would do something like this.” She froze. “My job would be so much easier if I didn’t have to worry about you sneaking out to fight the Craven… or meeting random men in places like the Red Pearl.” _Or dying or disappearing before I have a chance to use you to save Malik._ “And who knows what else you do when all believe you’re safely ensconced in your chambers,” I continued.

“I -” she tried to speak, but I kept going.

“I imagine that once I brought it to the Duke’s and Duchess’s attention, your penchant for arming yourself with a bow and climbing to the Rise would be one less thing I had to worry about.” It was an empty threat, but she didn’t need to know that.

What I wasn’t expecting, however, was the sheer panic that threat would bring. “You have no idea what he’d do if you went to him,” she almost sobbed. “He’d -” She cut herself off, and I found myself _very_ curious to see how that sentence would have ended.

“He’d what?” I prompted.

Poppy took a deep breath, like she was bracing herself, and lifted her chin to meet my eyes defiantly. “It doesn’t matter,” she said with a slight tremor in her voice. “Do what you feel you need to do.” 

She was a terrible liar, but I thought back to the summons from the Duke a few days prior, and how filled with dread both she and her lady’s maid had been. Clearly, Poppy was terrified of him, but the sound of people collecting the fallen guards below brought me out of my musings. There would be time to unpack that later, I would make sure. I stepped back, releasing her entirely, and nodded toward the stairwell. “You better hurry back to your chambers, Princess,” I dismissed her. “We’ll have to finish this conversation later.”

She stared at me for a moment, as though not believing her ears, and only when I made no move to grab her did she take off running again, her long cloak flowing out behind her. I watched her go, and kept watching even when she was no longer in sight. “Hawke?” came Pence’s call again, and I shook myself out of my stupor. I needed to go and clean the Craven blood off of my blades and my face, and maybe help pile up some of the bodies of those who fell for the funeral pyres. But then I _would_ finish that conversation. I would find out why she’d come out to the Rise in the dead of night to help defend it when it was such a risk for her to do so. And I would definitely find out why the Maiden, the one chosen by the gods, survivor of a vicious Craven attack and raised by the Queen herself, was afraid of Duke Teerman. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I really had a lot of fun getting in Casteel's head for this one :)


End file.
